Yesterday we were invited to an extraordinary event in Manchester. A funeral service for a World War II General, Ludwik Kmicic- Skrzyński, who had actually died in 1972, been buried in Manchester, but was now exhumed and being sent back to his home town of Białystok, with full religious and military honours. A controversial move, I think, but his family had agreed to it.

The church is tiny, but beautiful. Designed by an ex navy man, the interior is very ship like, very sinuous and warm, with a carved wood surround, on which are placed intricately designed chalices containing earth from places significant to the war time experiences of the Poles who arrived in England after the war.

Below the wooden rim, as it were, is a series of powerful stained glass windows, again depicting events and places significant to the Polish people. I was most struck by the window depicting Lwów, my parents’home town.

The church was not full. But seemed so with the amount of soldiers standing and changing guard throughout the ceremony. The standard bearers were I think veterans.

After the Mass there were many speeches honouring this man, who was indeed singularly brave and an excellent leader. He was the first to cross onto Russian soil in the First World War. He lost two young sons during the Warsaw uprising in the Second World War. He himself was captured and endured prison camps until the end of the war.

But saddest of all, and all the speech makers emphasised this, was when he settled in Manchester after the war, (of course he could not return) he had to work to support himself. Speaking no English, (his skills were in soldiering and leadership) he found a menial job in a factory, which he fulfilled without complaint. But eventually the bosses realised that some of the other workers were very deferential to him, so they asked why. Why, he’s a general. So he was moved from sweeping to light office duties and ended his working life in relative dignity.

---

St Maximilian Kolbe